Author ORCID Identifier
Semester
Summer
Date of Graduation
2024
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Type
MS
College
Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design
Department
Horticulture
Committee Chair
Nicole Waterland
Committee Co-Chair
Karen Buzby
Committee Member
Karen Buzby
Committee Member
Eugenia Pena-Yewtukhiw
Committee Member
Lian-Shin Lin
Abstract
Acid mine drainage and phosphorus pollution are two of the most pervasive forms of water contamination in Appalachia and globally. The horticultural industry is a contributor to nutrient pollution via leaching from greenhouses, necessitating the adoption of more sustainable practices for container production in controlled environments. In this thesis, an acid mine drainage-based iron-coated sand product was assessed on its effectiveness for phosphate adsorption when used as a sustainable substrate amendment for soilless container production of flowering ornamentals. The first study centered around the amount of iron-coated sand to use for production of petunias, pansies, and chrysanthemums. Iron-coated sand at all rates of inclusion (10, 20, 30, and 40% by volume) reduced phosphorus in leachate compared to commercial peat-based potting mix for all three crops. However, high rates of coated sand (>20%) in media had negative effects on growth and performance of all three crops, especially when P-containing fertilizer was applied. When no P was applied, low percentages of coated sand in soilless substrate resulted in similar growth to the control. Based on these results, 20% coated sand in commercial potting mix was used to grow chrysanthemums to test the effects of different rates of P in water-soluble fertilizer on plant growth and phosphate concentration in leachate. Similar to the first study, coated sand reduced phosphate concentration in leachate compared to the potting mix control for each rate of fertilizer. However, as the rate of P in fertilizer increased, the amount of phosphate in leachate also increased, though this was still less in the coated sand treatment. The third study focused on the behavior of the coated sand over time in production and post-production conditions as well as plant uptake of media nutrients. Petunias and chrysanthemums both had minimal differences in growth and performance between the coated sand treatment, a plain sand treatment, and the commercial media control in both production and post-production stages. Once again, plants grown in coated sand exhibited reduced phosphate content in leachate compared to the control throughout production, though this difference eventually become insignificant for the latter half of the post-production stage for both crops. Petunias had very few differences in nutrient content of leaves and roots between treatments at the end of production and throughout post-production. Chrysanthemums, on the other hand, demonstrated several differences, particularly in mature leaf and root tissues. Chrysanthemums grown in coated sand treatments took up much higher amounts of Fe, Mn, Mg, Zn, and Cu than the plain sand treatment or base media control, though these metals are commonly found in acid mine drainage, which may have attributed to this. However, chrysanthemums grown in the plain sand treatment had the highest amount of phosphorus in mature leaves and roots at the end of the post-production stage. The results of these three studies helped elucidate the behavior and efficacy of this novel acid mine drainage-based iron-coated sand product, and it holds promise as a sustainable substrate amendment that effectively adsorbs phosphate and prevents it from leaching, provides similar and occasionally improved yield and quality results in floriculture performance, and offers a panoply of nutrients for plant roots to utilize. By using a major water contaminant to prevent further pollution, this iron-coated sand has enormous potential for securing a more sustainable phosphorus management technique in containerized soilless floriculture production.
Recommended Citation
Mead, Savannah, "Iron Coated Sand: A Sustainable Substrate Amendment for Nutrient Management and Growth of Floriculture Crops" (2024). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 12612.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/12612
Embargo Reason
Publication Pending